Illustration Friday: 'Journey'

(click to enlarge)

Mixing up some Shakespeare and the Indian Railways :) For me, train travel beats everything else! I'm yet to meet a cute boy on a train though :P

Coco

Illustration Friday: 'Bottled' 2

This was the result of googling 'bottled' and coming up with the craziest hit.....the 'bottled' city of Kandor, apparently the capital city of Krypton. Superman trivia crash course :D And the idea of a bottled city! Too cool :) I tried to imagine a quaint Cinque Terre-like village inside it's own bottled world :) 

Illustration Friday: 'Bottled'

(all reference pics from Getty)

Just some quick sketches of bottles (perfume and otherwise) and glass jars, to experiment with two things: (i) painting glass, which I've never attempted because of some stupid artistic fear, and (ii) trying out watercolour pencils, which suprised me with their brilliance :)

Happy accidents all around. I'm loving the learning experience :) and my first time making two submissions for a single topic! Here's a start.   

I NEED a dog. Soon.

Illustration Friday: 'Duet'

I had another idea for the topic, which I will do later, hopefully :) But Wall-E was playing on TV and I couldn't resist a very hastily-done scene :) CANNOT get enough of this movie. Period. :)

Transplendence

The first time I heard a performance of Angela Ahn's was on the unplugged version of 18 til' I die...that video has some serious move-you-beyond-the-limit-of-music power! Then recently I came across an old performance she gave with her sisters (The Ahn Trio) at TEDWomen talks. I love how they move and get absorbed in the performance. Music like this makes me want to slap myself for not listening to as many classical peices as I'd like to.

P.S. A first attempt at flesh tones in watercolour...it's all about keeping the layers at a minimum, I'm coming to learn :) anyone's got tips on painting skin in watercolour? Would appreciate it!

Illustration Friday: 'Toy'

I was more of a toy to Strawbella than she was to me. She beat out the competition from my crazy collection of 13 Barbies and consumed half my childhood as my favourite doll.

I think it had something to do with her scented dress and strawberry-shaped purse...or maybe it was the way she came into my life. The day before my 8th (or 9th?) birthday, I spotted her in the only big toy shop in Vellore (the now extinct Nataraj...sigh) and pleaded in vain with Mum to buy it. But no, my parents had already gotten me a dress...frilly pink! God knows how I wore pink in my youth! :)...so a doll was ruled out. I tried not to cry and ruin my day, but vivid dreams of this doll with a gorgeous red dress hardly helped with the sleep.

The next day I woke up teary-eyed to the traditional birthday breakfast table of cake and flowers. But in the midst of all the hibiscus from our graden, there she sat. Strawbella.

I nearly died of happiness. And have since loved my parents a little bit more hahaha :D 

Illustration Friday: 'Cultivate'

(click to make picture beeeg-er!)

The first thing I thought of was Totoro helping Satsuki and Mei magically cultivate those acorns! :D One of my favourite scenes from the movie... Studio Ghibli love all over again! :) 

Happiness is a stencil effect

I had to make someone pink, and Mr. Starr fit the bill :)

The travel bug! And Mr. Adams a.k.a. God

My first encounter with 'proper' watercolour paper (after using handmade papers of varying thickness all this time, watercolour paper is like rain in the desert) had to be turned into a sketchbook, and the good book made its first few pages useful to document my Pune-Bombay trip!

What an awesome four-day whirlwind of pubs and Maharashtrian street food (so muuuuuuuch pav!), all sponsored by the beloved Brother :) And having it culminate in the first live concert of my sorry life: BRYAN ADAMS. Un.f-ing.believable. Thought I'd died and gone to heaven :)

Note to self - pat on back for starting to tolerate flying...more travelling on the cards! :)

Illustration Friday: 'Layer'

No idea where this came from, but I think it has to do with me thinking about the 'layers' in rainbows, roses, and hair all at the same time. Made sense to put them together! Death is just the contrast, the inevitable foil :)

Illustration Friday: 'Sweater'

Not that these guys would need sweaters in the climes that they live in! But I thought it would be fun to see them in each other's skins hehe :)

I wish someone would knit me a zebra print sweater! :)

Illustration Friday: 'Reverse'

 

What if the paintings in galleries could break free of their canvasses and run riot on the walls?

A reverse situation that I would VERY much love to see :)

Click on the image to enlaaaaarge!

A Valentines's gift

For Sheethal and Rohit :)

Ilustration Friday: 'Surrender'

MACARONS!! I would surrender to them even if I was the cat in that window :) And to think I've not even tasted one yet...double sigh. But soon! :)

And here's the Laduree catalogue...just to fuel my macaron thirst :)

A hundred little balloons...

What a great location this would be to have a picnic :) And this tree actually exists. Sigh.

Illustration Friday: 'Chicken'

Does it show that ballet has been the only thing on my mind over the last week? :) This is what happens when you get blown away by Black Swan AND Tchaikovsky's music all at the same time! I'm currently obsessing over both, so what better way to illustrate 'Chicken' than a ballet theme :) If these girls were to prance on stage to Swan Lake, it would have to be called 'Hen Pond'. He he, bad joke. Enjoy the 'fowl' play :)

P.S. Drawing those skirts was the best fun I've ever had! :)

Illustration Friday: 'Deja Vu'

'Hey, didn't I just push you off the page?'

Deja vu...what goes around comes around :)

May the force be with you

My third portrait for The Hindu's Open Page! 'Big three' cheer :) This one was for a piece on scientist Satyendranath Bose, after whom those little 'force-carriers,' Bosons, are named :) 

Illustration Friday: 'Resolutions'

This is a more a life's resolution than a year's one (since a big pay-check isn't going to happen anytime soon!), nevertheless...I'm hoping to go to Cinque Terre someday! I mean, just look at it. A group of five villages clustered on a cliff on the Italian coast. What's not to lust after? It's unreal. I heard about the place last month and have been obsessing over it ever since. Nothing like a crazily whimsical place to fuel the wanderlust! More travelling on the cards this year :)

And here's marking my foray into Illustration Friday!! Every Friday a word-prompt goes up, and you get a week to illustrate it. Fun fun fun :) One of the big resolutions was to draw more this year and make the transition into full-time art, so this is step number one. Fingers crossed! :)